Author's Notes and Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or Inuyasha, though all original characters are my own. This might end up only being a one shot. It sort of depends on what my muse wants. To let people know up front I have not and currently have no plans to read the Kuroshitsuji manga. This picks up well after the anime for Kuroshitsuji and with a slight alteration to the end of Inuyasha (the well never opened again).
Despair: A total loss of hope, which may be passive or may drive one to furious efforts, even if at random.
Kagome –
The damp smell of the dirt mixed with the more pungent aroma of blood and salt. There was a sharp crack as another of her nails broke against the rougher packed earth she'd reached caked at the bottom of the well. Her fingers had begun to bleed but she kept pulling free as much of the rock as she could. Perhaps if she just managed to dig deep enough into the earth the old magic would activate itself again…it would let her through…
"Please…just work, take me back again…let me return…" Kagome whispered coarsely, her voice uneven from hours of on-again off-again tears. "I can't…I can't be here, not anymore…"
The black clothes she'd worn were stained and torn; ruined after hours of digging frantically at the bottom of the well. Pausing only on the occasions when the sobs racked her body so heavily that she could barely move. It was as though there was this sudden emptiness inside her, a black hole of sorrow that lusted to consume every other part of her being. It was maddening, yet she wished even that would just overtake her, that insanity would steal her away from the agony of reality.
Dig, she had to keep digging…she had to find a way out of this world…after all she'd done and she was alone, completely abandoned to the shadows…
After she'd returned to the modern world she managed well enough, she still had friends, family that cared about her. She'd lost a lot but she could survive with what she possessed, without her friends from the feudal era. She'd helped preserve everything she'd cared about, protected the world even if she had to give up those closest to her heart. Then the fire happened…
The school was mysteriously set ablaze - during a play where most families of the student body were involved. Even Grandpa had been there, Mom, Souta; everyone was swept away by the heat and turned to ash…Kagome only escaped because she had run home having forgotten one of the costumes for a later act. In an instant everything good had been purged from her life, burned away…
What little happiness she might have possessed stolen as assuredly as the well beneath her that refused to open. Everything, she'd given up all she had to rescue the world from Naraku and the world only mocked her sacrifice…she found herself alone…lost in the darkness again. Half wishing she had made a selfish request of the jewel…that perhaps it would have allowed her more joy than she now possessed. She pulled more rubble from the earth as she thought about that afternoon…
The large funeral service had happened earlier, at one of the parks in the downtown; so many people crying, yet she had been the only one alone. Everyone else had someone to lean on, a shoulder on which to help themselves pull away from the grief. Yet everyone she would have leaned on had been incinerated or was lost beyond a mystical barrier that had imprisoned her in a life that only felt alien.
Occasionally she heard mumbled condolences and she offered sad smiles or appreciation but it was all hollow. The entire day was nothing more than a puppet moving to a prerecorded dance. She did what the general part of society desired of her…yet when she got home she hadn't even a shrine to respect. Most people had scrambled to get such things set up; to respect their dead. She had no picture frames to greet on her return, she didn't know how to arrange such things and it seemed insulting for someone else to do it. She didn't know who to contact and that aside; what could a small picture frame and some incense possibly do to fill this void?
The quiet, the loneliness…she wished it would drive her so far into madness she couldn't recognize it anymore. She fumbled with a piece of rock and grit her teeth when it fell on her leg, cutting a deep gash through fabric and flesh alike. That's when she recalled more of that afternoon…the strange discussion in front of her at the ceremony.
"It's too sad…how could someone do this? I wish they would suffer, suffer ten times all the agony they have caused." A girl had said, she was probably twelve or thirteen, she didn't know who else to blame for her siblings death.
For a moment Kagome had agreed with her, but the culprit was unknown, it could have been nothing more than an accident. Kagome found as much as she wanted to hate the someone she couldn't blame someone without knowing what had actually happened..
"You can you know sis they say there are demons here, they make pacts with humans and fill any wish you want…in return for your soul they'll follow your every whim." It was another boy, who didn't understand he shouldn't joke here. "All you have to do is cut yourself and call to them. You sacrifice your own blood and then call him; Michaelis, that's what my classmate told me. Then you could have revenge if you wanted it."
"You aren't funny, how disrespectful! Ayumi was your cousin!" The girl had been quick to admonish him. "Just be quiet and listen now, the principle is about to speak. How could you make jokes during your cousin's funeral service?"
She'd forgotten the comments of some student about a demon until now…it seemed so silly, just a superstition. Even if she tried…what worth would it be…she already knew what demons were like and what she remembered didn't match the description the kid had given. It was stupid…if there was any demon she'd want to see it was Inuyasha, and he was only half. There was no way he'd still be alive even if demons did still exist.
"What an unexpected circumstance…" The voice was coming from above her; someone had come to the shrine? They were going to think she was crazy, Kagome moved to get up but a hand pressed her back down. Her eyes widened…how had he gotten down to her so quickly? He had short neatly cut black hair that framed his face, slightly longer bangs on his left than his right. A lithe figure and somehow regal features, a well dressed fairly young man. It was when he looked up from her wound at her that she felt her heart jump. The crimson of his eyes reminded her of Naraku…she shivered a moment before she reminded herself it couldn't be, Naraku died in the feudal era and besides his face was definitely not the same. "You are heavily injured miss, let me help you."
"You…" Kagome paused; she could hardly say 'look like a demon' though that had been her first inclination. Who was this man and why was he at the bottom of the Bone Eater's well all of a sudden. "…what are you doing here?"
Sebastian –
Tokyo, the latest of his master's interests had brought him here. Ceil had been summoned by a young soul in need of contract and Sebastian had of course followed his eternal young master. His contract demanded nothing less, Ciel had been an interesting master for a while but Sebastian grew tired of this game. Being the young brat's butler at first had been an irritant, though a challenge that intrigued one as old as he. It was tolerable because he knew he would have the boy's delectable soul as a feast when the game was over.
Now the game was never ending and the pure soul that had once so enticed Sebastian had rotted away in the years Ceil spent as a demon. Any minor fondness he might have once possessed for the creature he once made a pact with was long sense dead.
Ceil hadn't been completely unreasonable in the years, at first it had remained exciting for one such as himself. The only remaining tolerable part of his occupation was that he was allowed some minor freedoms. As long as other pacts Sebastian made did not interfere with his duties as the Phantomhive butler they were allowed to him. Likely in part because he would be useless without some strength of his own with which to serve the boy's aims. Ceil was a leader first and foremost, he'd generously given Sebastian some leave. There was no need for a butler while he feasted on a new soul. Ceil would be at it for likely days, the only thing he seemed to overindulge himself in was a feed – but at his root he was a demon so such behavior was to be expected.
Sebastian had his own aims…he wanted Ceil turned human again; he wasn't a natural demon, so his form could be reversed to what it had once been with the right ingredients. Ceil had foolishly ignored many of the finer details of the supernatural pieces of his existence. He didn't even seem to realize he could be turned into a human again. Which served Sebastian's aims perfectly, not that Ceil would be much of a feast anymore but it would free him of this far too long running contract. He was on his way back from a short dull meal of his own when he felt the pull…
The subtle but undeniably attractive tug of a desperate soul, reaching out for help beyond that which was natural…there was blood…they'd even thought about part of his name. Michaelis…blood and tears…it was something he might have ignored but the scent on the soul in question was too alluring not to have at least a closer look.
Broken, bleeding, tears staining a forlorn face…the woman at the bottom of the dark well was a scene he'd seen hundreds, possibly thousands of times. Perhaps this was the first time at the bottom of a dried up old well inside such a dirty shack. The rest of the details remained much the same. The aura of desperation in the air was delightful…and despite her thoughts of him she hadn't directly said anything…she was so far gone perhaps she didn't think even a demon could help her. He might have turned and left her still if it wasn't for the sweet aroma mingled into her hopelessness – she was as pure a heart as he had seen in at least a century. Yet she wanted something so much she was willing to call a demon for it? He should get back before his absence was missed but his curiosity got the better of him.
"What an unexpected circumstance…" Sebastian mumbled, knowing now wasn't a good time to pursue another contract…then immediately she stiffened and started to get up…but she was still losing blood from her leg. He settled next to her a moment later, holding her so she wouldn't injure herself further…as it was the smell of her blood was so tantalizing he wanted to rip her apart there and then. If he hadn't fed recently he might have indulged himself such a wasteful moment. No, he wanted to relish this one…
"You are heavily injured Miss, let me help you." His voice was gentle, delicate; years of practice had made it easy to sound much less threatening than he truly was. He was an exceptional butler after all.
"You…" She seemed about to say something else, though she also looked fearful as she watched him. It wasn't an uncommon first interaction; Ceil had gotten annoyed with Sebastian a few times for choosing to retain his crimson gaze over taking another color that would blend more easily. Yet he'd never ordered him to change so Sebastian kept the coloring he most favored. "…what are you doing here?"
"You called me here. Stay still." Sebastian drew his handkerchief from his front pocket; it was a pity he'd have to rip such craftsmanship but all a means to an end. He tore it into halves and started to wrap her leg, he would need to take it and clean it but stemming the bleed was needed first.
"I didn…you're a demon." She said it so swiftly; coming to the realization faster than he expected; peculiar considering he was in a human form. Blinking a few times as if she needed to make sure for herself she wasn't seeing things. "You're…Mich…"
Sebastian interrupted her with a gloved finger over her lips, smirking slightly at how quickly she caught on. "Call me Sebastian; that is presently my name."
"Sebastian…what a pretty name…" She remarked, she seemed a little dizzy, likely a result of the blood she'd lost. Why was she digging at the bottom of an ancient well? It mattered little he supposed, too long playing a human and he'd started to think needless things.
"Thank you, you are too kind lady, may I have yours? Also, I'm curious what it is you want from me?" He asked, no point in rushing it, he pulled the bandage closed, watching it already start to bleed through. It was deeper than he first imagined.
"Kagome, Kagome Higurashi…" She answered, she seemed full of questions and yet at a loss as to what to ask, as though her pain had lessened just by his presence. There was certainly something special about this young woman, to be comforted by a demon while possessing a pure soul. "…ow…what I want?"
Immediately the dimness returned to her eyes, reminded of her situation she wilted again and mumbled, "My family…my friends…they all died…"
"I cannot bring people back from the dead." Sebastian remarked, slightly disappointed; was that the wish that distracted him from his personal matters?
"No…I don't want that…they…I hope they're happier." Kagome said with a light smile, as though she would be doing them ill if she wanted to return them. At least his new find didn't seem as though she would bore him overly much.
"I need to move you my lady. This bleed is deeper than I expected, can I take you inside to your home? Do you have a first aid kit I can use?" Sebastian asked, listening to her words. So what did she want then? He was curious but if she bled out then this would all be pointless. When she nodded he gathered her up and leapt from the well, it was easy for one such as him. He was surprised she took it so well. Even holding on…it'd taken most of his soul's much more time to trust him and she just accepted it. They didn't even have a contract and she was just going along even knowing what he was, she got more mysterious by the minute.
Both-
"Upstairs, the bathroom…" Kagome commented once they got into the house, just letting him carry her…it reminded her of riding on Inuyasha's back or Sesshomaru's tail, so smooth it was effortless. So…were more demons alive in her time? Should she have tried to contact Sesshomaru? Or her adopted fox…would they even still be alive? What was the maximum age of a demon? All things she should have asked when she had the chance.
"I will need to wash it, I warn you that it will hurt but I will try to be gentle." Sebastian remarked; he was much more polite than she expected. Demons had changed a lot…or at least he was an uncommon demon. It made her wonder about Sesshomaru helping dress a wound. She smiled slightly at the absurdity of that mental picture.
"Do I amuse you?" He didn't sound nearly as gentle there, and she shook her head quickly, wincing as he began cleaning her leg and wound, looking up at the ceiling since she didn't want to see him doing it.
"No, I…you remind me a little of someone I knew a long time ago…but they would never have dressed a wound for anyone. Thinking about them doing it was a little funny, that's all." Kagome explained honestly. She realized she wasn't answering his question, which was rude of her considering apparently her thoughts had summoned him. It made sense from what she remembered of other run ins with demons, was she truly so unhappy?
"Yes…" She knew the answer even if she wouldn't state it out loud.
What did she want?
"I don't want to be alone, not anymore. Hearing that…it sounds so pathetic…but it's true…I want someone to be with me while I live life." Kagome said, realizing herself how ignoble her feelings were.
"You'd give up your soul to not be alone?" Sebastian asked lightly, he wasn't judgmental as to the reasons why his meals wanted to make contracts. Only that they were clear as to what they wanted and what they would give up in return. It didn't matter, he couldn't accept this contract regardless, as it would interfere in what Ciel gave him as acceptable guidelines. Still, he was curious; this woman intrigued him…perhaps if she hadn't already been stolen he could return once he was done with his master.
"My soul…" Kagome laughed, then winced at the motion, but laughed again anyway. It was bittersweet. Her body had a fever so he wasn't sure if she knew what she was saying. "I doon't think it's worth much. It wasn't even mine originally."
"What do you mean?" He'd finished with her leg but he picked up one of her hands and had taken his gloves off to clean her fingers in the sink. It stung; she'd done a number on them trying to dig her way out of her loneliness. This demon owed her nothing but he was taking care of her…she supposed the least she could do was answer, perhaps she was just at the bottom of a well dying and this was her final hallucination…
"I'm a reincarnation…my soul belonged to someone else…it's not really mine. I'm not sure if you're only after used goods…but…this soul has never brought me anything but suffering. If it would work…yes, I'd give it away not to be alone." Kagome said, watching Sebastian's face as he worked with her hands, it stung when he had to pour the hydrogen peroxide on them to help with the cleaning but she didn't care. She'd suffered wounds before, she likely would again. This demon though, he intrigued her…he wasn't like other demons she'd seen in the past. He reminded her mostly of Sesshoamaru; at least the somewhat noble ambience – the other plus was him being less interested in immediately gutting her. Of course he apparently wanted her soul so that wasn't really something to admire.
"For a demon you seem incredibly sad about something…" Her words finally drew the man's crimson eyes off his task. At second glance and in better lighting they were much less like Naraku's. The color was richer, cleaner somehow than her old arch-enemies had been…more timeless and yet beneath the cool exterior she could sense something bestial…
"You are an incredibly astute young lady." He remarked leaning closer to her and making her draw back, blushing as her eyes found her knees. He'd already fully bandaged the cut in her thigh. "What sort of deal are you proposing? You would have me keep a contract with you for how long? A day? A year? Twenty years? You are being quite unspecific. You don't seem to think much of your soul so I can't expect you'd want more than that."
"Nineteen years…" Kagome said…it was an odd number…certainly she continued to surprise him…he'd suggested an allowance of twenty and she wanted less time? "I'll be Nineteen soon…one for every year I've already been alive…"
"You would die, and your soul would never touch heaven, forever tainted by darkness. You would make such a deal still?" Sebastian knew he couldn't actually complete the contract even if he wanted it. He finished bandaging one of her hands and started on the second. It was refreshing, a rare moment with such a sacred creature so close to corruption…
"Yes…" Kagome surprised herself with the answer…but she remembered so much of what she'd seen, she'd heard when she was in the feudal era. There was no god as far as she was concerned…only hell…and if she was going to end there regardless…as Kikyo did…what harm could this bring? "But…you won't. That's why you're being nice to me…bandaging my hands, my leg. It's some sort of consolation prize."
"I cannot make such a contract at this time…you are right about that much." Sebastian agreed, working carefully at getting dirt away from one of her nails that had partly detached, he likely would need to remove the nail despite part of it still being attached. "It would be ungentlemanly of me to leave you in such a disheveled state; you should not mistake it for kindness when you know I'm a demon."
"You don't have to stay but you're taking care of me in your own way. That's kindness even if it's excused off as something else. Besides I think you're lonely too ow!" Kagome cried out as he pulled the nail the rest of the way off her finger, tears stinging he eyes at the pain but she bit off her own cry. It interrupted anything else she might have had to say
Clearly he hadn't approved her observation. After that moment however the pain eased off, he continued being quite careful, so she wasn't certain if he'd done it purposely or if he would have done it regardless. It was hard to know what to think of him. But before long he'd finished wrapping her fingers and then he moved to wet a rag, starting to clean her face. It was as though he'd done things like this before…taking such precise care of someone…how could he be completely bad?
"Thank you…but I think I can manage from here…" She raised her hand to take the rag out of his and a bright light enveloped them both. When she touched the mark that bound him to Ciel it glowed and burned, it was incredibly painful yet the contract was evaporating as a result of nothing more than her touching it…what was this young woman?
End Chapter
Heh, I'm surprised at myself for writing this. I didn't really like Kuroshitsuji (except for Sebastian XD), yet I'm here writing fan fiction for it. I'm just a crossover fiend with the habit of tormenting myself I suppose…I wanted to write something darker yet not without hope. And well, I need to put Sebastian with a woman and someone older than 13…since I'm not into yaoi or pedophilia. Someone lied to me and told me the series had almost no yaoi implications in it. (Except they're –bloody- everywhere…and it's creepy…) Anyway, rant done. Hope folks enjoy my odd fic pairing choices XD.
-Aura
Assuming I get reviews long enough to answer I shall remark here in any further chapters.